WEBVTT - Finding Light in the Dark

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<v Speaker 1>Dear Governor is a production of I Heart Media and

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<v Speaker 1>three Months Media. If you are moved by Jarvis Masters

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<v Speaker 1>and his thirty years struggle on San Quentin's Death Throw,

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<v Speaker 1>and you'd like to support his cause, please consider signing

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<v Speaker 1>a petition on his behalf. Visit Free Jarvis dot org

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<v Speaker 1>slash podcast to sign your name to an open letter

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<v Speaker 1>to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Dear Governor Newsom, Dear Mr

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<v Speaker 1>Governor Newsom. This is an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom,

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<v Speaker 1>Dear Governor Newsom. Public Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chodren writes,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm grateful to be Jarvis Masters teacher in part because

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<v Speaker 1>he has taught me so much. I have rarely encountered

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<v Speaker 1>anyone who expresses the essence of Buddhism in a clearer,

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<v Speaker 1>more moving way than he does, And I deeply admire

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<v Speaker 1>how David Chef has capture that hard one wisdom in

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<v Speaker 1>his book The Buddhist on Death Row, how one man

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<v Speaker 1>found light in the darkest place. In the last episode

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<v Speaker 1>we heard from David and why and how he chose

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<v Speaker 1>to spend years writing the story of Jarvis's life. I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to hear Jarvis's side of the story why he

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<v Speaker 1>agreed to give permission an unfettered access to his story

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<v Speaker 1>to a perfect stranger. Let me just say something about

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<v Speaker 1>David and my relationship. It went so fast, I mean

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of our relationship as to human beings, him

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<v Speaker 1>trying to understand my life and me having the ability

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<v Speaker 1>to trust him in ways that I've never trust anyone

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<v Speaker 1>telling that story. I think one of the reasons why

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<v Speaker 1>I gave a lot of trust to him that I

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<v Speaker 1>would not have anyone else's because he read my two books.

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<v Speaker 1>He read That Bird Has My Wings and he read

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<v Speaker 1>Finding Freedom. So he came with a understanding of where

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<v Speaker 1>I understood my life and he followed up on that.

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<v Speaker 1>It was not, you know, me having to tell him

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<v Speaker 1>about a lot of scenes, a lot of experiences that

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<v Speaker 1>I had without him already knowing about it. So he

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<v Speaker 1>came to me with an idea of just continuing that

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<v Speaker 1>story in a way that would impact more people. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>I was all for that, but I also knew that

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<v Speaker 1>there was gonna be a lot that I didn't write

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<v Speaker 1>about that he was going to write about, and not

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<v Speaker 1>all of it was gonna be you know what, I

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<v Speaker 1>would have said, you know, but I was fine with it.

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<v Speaker 1>I was fine with it because my story was out

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<v Speaker 1>in front of his and that's just the way I

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<v Speaker 1>felt about it. Were you nervous about what he might

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<v Speaker 1>find out was or what he might write about since

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<v Speaker 1>he didn't have any control over it. I don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to say I didn't care, but I would say that

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<v Speaker 1>I trusted him to care about what he thought would

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<v Speaker 1>be the best thing to tell people about me. Why

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<v Speaker 1>did you trust me with it? I don't know. My

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<v Speaker 1>whole attitude was that my story was out there, and

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<v Speaker 1>I put it out there. So whatever you guys do,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't you know you're gonna do it. He's not

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<v Speaker 1>the district attorney's office. He's not someone who's prosecuting me,

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<v Speaker 1>and anyone's absent of that has to have something good

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<v Speaker 1>to say about me. Um. And plus, you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>Cornea was tired. I was really tired. I mean it

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<v Speaker 1>was some time after I lost my appeal, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was just I wasn't trying to you know, I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have that kind of energy no more, you know, um.

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<v Speaker 1>And it was all about finding someone you can trust,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, because it my belief and I tell guys

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<v Speaker 1>that around here, you know, you got to trust somebody.

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<v Speaker 1>At some point, you're going to trust somebody because if

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<v Speaker 1>we don't trust no one, then there's nothing gonna happen.

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<v Speaker 1>You You, I can bet you nothing's going to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>So you know, you trust someone and let it, let it,

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<v Speaker 1>let it go where it's gonna go, you know. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>But it was interesting when I felt interesting about David

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<v Speaker 1>and I write, you know, him writing that book was

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<v Speaker 1>that he was asking some really really good questions that

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<v Speaker 1>I had not thought about, you know, and I became

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<v Speaker 1>interested in how is he going to write this? You

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<v Speaker 1>know as a writer? You know, can you an example

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<v Speaker 1>like a question that was out of the blue, His

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<v Speaker 1>understanding of what happened to me as a child, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>his understanding of of how uh I end up going

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<v Speaker 1>back down to Los Angeles as you know, um, after

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<v Speaker 1>I was released from the California Youth Authority. Um. Him

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<v Speaker 1>seeing the more better than me, the good some good

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<v Speaker 1>things about me that I had not wrote about because

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<v Speaker 1>I just didn't think that was the story of my life.

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<v Speaker 1>And he said, you Arsad, is the story of your life.

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<v Speaker 1>Following is an excerpt from the Buddhist on Death Row,

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<v Speaker 1>in which David describes how Jarvis's traumatic childhood influenced some

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<v Speaker 1>of the Buddhist beliefs he embraces today. Audiobook read by

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<v Speaker 1>Michael Boatman. Jarvis was placed in nine foster homes and

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<v Speaker 1>three boys homes, including some in which he was starved, beaten,

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<v Speaker 1>and kept in squalor. At thirteen, he was moved from

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<v Speaker 1>the foster care system into the Division of Juvenile Justice,

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<v Speaker 1>where the brutal treatment escalated. When he was arrested for

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<v Speaker 1>petty crimes stealing a bicycle joy riding. He was placed

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<v Speaker 1>in youth detention centers, where he was subjected to more beatings, burned,

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<v Speaker 1>locked in closets, and made to pummel other boys. If

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<v Speaker 1>he refused, counselors beat him harder. He ran away when

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<v Speaker 1>he could, and often found his way back to Harbor City,

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<v Speaker 1>where he sometimes stayed with his aunt, Cynthia's sister Barbary.

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<v Speaker 1>There was always music playing. Barbery played the same records

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<v Speaker 1>over and over, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Delphonics, She

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<v Speaker 1>Loved a song by George Clinton's Funkadelic Free Your Mind

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<v Speaker 1>and Your Ass will follow and must have played at

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<v Speaker 1>a thousand times. Jarvis laughed to himself at the thought

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<v Speaker 1>of who had helped him understand the words of a

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<v Speaker 1>great lama from Tibet, George Clinton. He said it aloud,

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<v Speaker 1>Free your mind and your ass will follow. According to

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<v Speaker 1>the Rand Corporation Inmate Survey, about fift of people in

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<v Speaker 1>prison claim innocence of their convicted crime, and yet the

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<v Speaker 1>National Academy of Sciences has determined that only four percent

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<v Speaker 1>of those on death row are truly innocent. I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to hear from David as to why he was so

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<v Speaker 1>steadfast and his conclusions that Jarvis is innocent of the

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<v Speaker 1>crime that he was convicted of. I started to read

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<v Speaker 1>everything I could about Jarvis, and I went up to

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<v Speaker 1>his lawyer at the time of lawyer with Joe Baxter.

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<v Speaker 1>And I went up to Joe's offices in Santa Rosa

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<v Speaker 1>and there was a wall full of boxes filled with

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<v Speaker 1>documents from years and years and years of lidication related

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<v Speaker 1>to his appeal. And I read volumes, and the more

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<v Speaker 1>I read, the more I was convinced, beyond the shadow

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<v Speaker 1>of a doubt that you know that's the legal term.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, he he was innocent and he should not

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<v Speaker 1>be there. He had a trial that was appalling. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>he there was no justice in this trial, and there

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<v Speaker 1>was no reason that Jobs should be in prison. And um,

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<v Speaker 1>so I became I feel like, there's a controvertible person.

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<v Speaker 1>He's innocent and he was framed, and that he shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>be there. Are you against the death penalty as a rule?

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<v Speaker 1>I am. I feel like the death penalty for both

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<v Speaker 1>moral reasons, and I get well, it all comes down

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<v Speaker 1>to moral reasons, but a lot of it also is

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<v Speaker 1>the reality that I feel like, even if you understand,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I do think a lot about it's easy

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<v Speaker 1>for me to say I don't believe in the death

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<v Speaker 1>penalty if somebody murdered, you know, the people closest to me, um,

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<v Speaker 1>my child, or my life and my parents or somebody

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I steal still feel that way, um,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think it's a little presumptuous for me to

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<v Speaker 1>say that I would. I would, I hope I would.

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<v Speaker 1>But regardless of that, we have to end the death

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<v Speaker 1>penalty because it's not I mean, if there was a

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<v Speaker 1>way to know the people that we were executing we're

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<v Speaker 1>guilty of crimes, then you know, and if you buy

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<v Speaker 1>the death penalty, then maybe that's you know that you

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<v Speaker 1>can go there. But you know, if we execute one

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<v Speaker 1>person who's innocent and we know that we have um,

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<v Speaker 1>nobody should support the death penalty because then we are

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<v Speaker 1>becoming murderers, just like you know, other killers. When get

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<v Speaker 1>let out, where are you going to take him? What's

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<v Speaker 1>the first thing you're going to do with him? You

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<v Speaker 1>know what, I've whatever he wants to do. But the

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<v Speaker 1>thing that I've always fantasized with him because I spent

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<v Speaker 1>so much time because I'm a surfer and being outdoors

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<v Speaker 1>and being on the beaches, so my it rejuvenates me,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, when I'm stressed out about I'm having a

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<v Speaker 1>hard time's uh, you know, I think about Jarvis a

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<v Speaker 1>lot when I'm out there to walking on the beach,

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<v Speaker 1>and I would just, you know, give anything to be

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<v Speaker 1>able to take that walk with him. He calls himself

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<v Speaker 1>a fish too. He loved the water. Yeah. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>some of the things that you know are I don't

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<v Speaker 1>even know if they're in the book anymore because I

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<v Speaker 1>can't remember what was cutting what wasn't cut at different points.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know the fact that you know, everybody has

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<v Speaker 1>this black and white idea, this cliche of what Jarvis's

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<v Speaker 1>life is like, and a lot of it was that,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that violent, brutal life, you know, gangs and

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<v Speaker 1>drugs and violence, but you know, there were these moments

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<v Speaker 1>of joy and of you know that, like when Jarvis

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<v Speaker 1>told me that this kid took him out to learn

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<v Speaker 1>how to go abaloney diving, It was like, no, you

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<v Speaker 1>have this rich life. Yeah, everybody who's listened to this

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<v Speaker 1>podcast knows Jarvis's amazing sense of humor that he's able

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<v Speaker 1>to maintain that would you true to h We laughed

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<v Speaker 1>so much over the years. Jarvis was so funny and

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<v Speaker 1>we just, oh, my god. You know, I don't even

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<v Speaker 1>know if he knows how funny is. Sometimes we'll say

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<v Speaker 1>things and I think it's just who he is. I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's his spirit and the fact that he was

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<v Speaker 1>able to retain that sense of humor over the course

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<v Speaker 1>of years as being brutalized says something about his self.

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<v Speaker 1>It's who he is deep down inside. And it also

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<v Speaker 1>says something about the way he can he views the world.

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<v Speaker 1>And maybe part of the reason he survived and such

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<v Speaker 1>you know, good shape, is that he often was able

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<v Speaker 1>to see this light. And sometimes the humor was gallows humor,

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes you know, it was just silly, frivolous stuff

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<v Speaker 1>that would come up. But part of that being able

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<v Speaker 1>to laugh as well as to cry, because we did

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<v Speaker 1>cry a lot too together. It's part of his magic

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe part of his survival. I know you interviewed

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<v Speaker 1>a number of his family members. I was just wondering

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<v Speaker 1>at that was a trait that was common in their family,

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<v Speaker 1>in their dna um. You know who I did interview.

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<v Speaker 1>I interviewed his father and his cousin, and it's definitely

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<v Speaker 1>a master's family trade. They laughed. It was the best was.

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<v Speaker 1>I visited Jarvis's once with his father. The two of

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<v Speaker 1>them spent the whole time laughing, teasing each other. You

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<v Speaker 1>know about God, they're old times about you know how

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<v Speaker 1>you know how much we they gained? How much? How?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh God. He definitely got some of his sense of

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<v Speaker 1>humors from his family, from his dad, for sure, and

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<v Speaker 1>I saw that. And when they laughed, by the way,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the same booming, infectious laugh. Besides Jarvis, in

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<v Speaker 1>writing the book, is there any other character that you

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<v Speaker 1>came upon that made a big impression on you? I know,

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<v Speaker 1>like Melody or my Child was the first person you

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned in the book. Well, Jarvis is sort of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's an amazing person, so it's maybe not surprising that

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<v Speaker 1>he's surrounded by amazing people one after the other. Melody

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<v Speaker 1>or a Child, you know, was the investigator who connected

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<v Speaker 1>with Jarvis at the time when he was facing a

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<v Speaker 1>trial that ultimately led to the death penalty, and she

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<v Speaker 1>was with one and he talks about is the one

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<v Speaker 1>who really helped him more than anybody ever had in

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<v Speaker 1>his life and opened them up to the idea that

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<v Speaker 1>so sometimes we can't change her external circumstances, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we can control the way we perceive them and the

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<v Speaker 1>way we feel inside and so that and she was

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<v Speaker 1>totally inspiring to have a children. His teacher is, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most amazing people I've ever met and

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<v Speaker 1>talked about, somebody who has helped millions of people and

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<v Speaker 1>helped me at the personal level in my family. Susan Shannon,

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<v Speaker 1>another Buddhist teacher who was the chaplain, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>chaplains in the prison. She is this is remarkable. I

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<v Speaker 1>would talk to her sometimes and she loved Jarvis, and

0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:02.079
<v Speaker 1>she talked about you know working with Jarvis studying Buddhism

0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:06.880
<v Speaker 1>inside the prison. I mean, he just as this extraordinary person.

0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:09.920
<v Speaker 1>He grabs, you know, he brings for extraordinary people around him.

0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:13.200
<v Speaker 1>Rebecca sold It, you know, one of my idols and

0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:15.439
<v Speaker 1>who I've always revered as a writer. You know, I

0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:19.520
<v Speaker 1>got her through Jarvis because she too a friend of

0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:22.960
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis is and devoted to him. I'm blown away by

0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:27.040
<v Speaker 1>everybody that I've met in his Indus circle, Like everybody,

0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:31.880
<v Speaker 1>everybody is an exceptional individual, absolutely, and they really are.

0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.080
<v Speaker 1>And and you know there's the reason for that. Again.

0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:39.560
<v Speaker 1>You know, people connect with him because he's very special

0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:43.360
<v Speaker 1>and you know, and he connects with people who that's

0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:47.200
<v Speaker 1>probably another Buddhist precept. We don't know that good energy

0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.280
<v Speaker 1>attracts good energy. Yeah, yeah, there is something about that,

0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:52.440
<v Speaker 1>and there is this whole you know, the world of

0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:56.680
<v Speaker 1>people around Jarvis also are um. The people around Jarvis

0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.600
<v Speaker 1>are also anybody who's gonna step foot in the prison.

0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:03.880
<v Speaker 1>It says something about them if they're not being forced

0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:07.520
<v Speaker 1>with guards. Because we've changed. You've got to open and

0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:11.080
<v Speaker 1>be open and have a bigger heart than maybe he's

0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.520
<v Speaker 1>expected to have a lot of people, because you have

0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:16.880
<v Speaker 1>to understand and respect and be connected to the idea

0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.760
<v Speaker 1>that people in prison are people. You know, any of

0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:22.280
<v Speaker 1>them are innocent, but they're all people. And Jarvis talked

0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:26.480
<v Speaker 1>a lot about that. Yeah, what if it that Brian

0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.520
<v Speaker 1>Stans have said that we are not our worst mistake,

0:15:30.200 --> 0:15:43.880
<v Speaker 1>We are so much more than that. Several years ago,

0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:47.000
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis managed to get his hands on an illicit cell phone.

0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.600
<v Speaker 1>David writes about it in the epilogue of The Buddhist

0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:55.400
<v Speaker 1>on Death Row. My phone chimed at three am, alerting

0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:59.760
<v Speaker 1>me that a text had arrived. Usually I turned it off,

0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.960
<v Speaker 1>and but I had forgotten. And I looked at the screen.

0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:08.520
<v Speaker 1>The text came from an unidentified number. It read is

0:16:08.560 --> 0:16:13.480
<v Speaker 1>this working? Then the phone chimed a second time for

0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:18.360
<v Speaker 1>a second text. This one was a photograph, a selfie

0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:22.960
<v Speaker 1>dimly lit sitting in front of a Jimmy Hendricks poster.

0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:30.880
<v Speaker 1>Was Jarvis grinning hugely. I responded, w t F. He

0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:34.800
<v Speaker 1>wrote back, what does that mean? What the funk are

0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:39.120
<v Speaker 1>you doing with a cell phone. It's no surprise that

0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:42.280
<v Speaker 1>cell phones are banned in San Quentin and other prisons

0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:48.160
<v Speaker 1>where telephone access is strictly monitored and controlled. The prohibitions Notwithstanding,

0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:52.160
<v Speaker 1>black market cell phones are thriving business in many prisons,

0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:56.320
<v Speaker 1>including San Quentin. Jarvis bought his phone from an inmate,

0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.400
<v Speaker 1>who probably bought it from a guard. Jarvis said it

0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:02.760
<v Speaker 1>was better not to ask. A friend paid for cell

0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:07.959
<v Speaker 1>service and Netflix. The seller's pitch included the promise of

0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:12.520
<v Speaker 1>unlimited movies, so Jarvis was disappointed that the cellular signal

0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:16.560
<v Speaker 1>through the prison walls was insufficient to allow streaming. His

0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:20.960
<v Speaker 1>phone got only one bar. However, necessity is the mother

0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.720
<v Speaker 1>of invention, and prisoners have a lot of time on

0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:28.399
<v Speaker 1>their hands, so they often devise ingenious workarounds. Though the

0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.960
<v Speaker 1>signal was still too weak for streaming, Jarvis learned that

0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:36.040
<v Speaker 1>he could use some phone apps offline. He could, for instance,

0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:40.400
<v Speaker 1>take photos, make video and audio recordings, and attached them

0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.360
<v Speaker 1>to texts, which he could then send if he put

0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:46.359
<v Speaker 1>the phone in a laze potato chip bag attached to

0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:49.640
<v Speaker 1>a wire and slid the package under the cell door

0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:53.240
<v Speaker 1>and out into the corridor where the signal was stronger.

0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.320
<v Speaker 1>A few phone calls got through, and he sent me

0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.400
<v Speaker 1>pictures of his cell and his tear to can through

0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.520
<v Speaker 1>the mesh that covered the door. He also sent a

0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.720
<v Speaker 1>recording of an inmate complaining that Jarvis's typing was too

0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:12.120
<v Speaker 1>loud as he texted another friend, this phone blew my

0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:17.240
<v Speaker 1>mind wide open. I mean ten twelve hours a day.

0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.280
<v Speaker 1>If I had money, I could have ordered a pizza

0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:25.120
<v Speaker 1>pizza emoji. He'd figured out how to use emojis. Could

0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.960
<v Speaker 1>you see a pizza man at the front gate for

0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:33.960
<v Speaker 1>a Jarvis Masters For almost four decades, Jarvis's access to

0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:38.359
<v Speaker 1>technology was limited to TV, radio and the electric typewriter

0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.760
<v Speaker 1>Pamela had sent him when he was arrested at nineteen.

0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:46.280
<v Speaker 1>There were no personal computers, never mind Internet or smartphones.

0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.439
<v Speaker 1>Once in the two thousands, when he had been in

0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.000
<v Speaker 1>the back of a prison van taking him to the hospital,

0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:55.680
<v Speaker 1>he delighted in the sights of the Blue Bay, billowing

0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:59.920
<v Speaker 1>white clouds, and the Golden hills in the distance. When

0:19:00.000 --> 0:19:02.720
<v Speaker 1>he looked at street corners, he was shocked to see

0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:07.240
<v Speaker 1>so many people talking to themselves. He remarked on it,

0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:09.760
<v Speaker 1>and a guard told him they were on the phone,

0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:14.880
<v Speaker 1>speaking through microphones and listening through earpieces. Other than that,

0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:17.720
<v Speaker 1>the nearest he had got into modern technology was as

0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.639
<v Speaker 1>it was depicted on TV, where it seemed like science fiction.

0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:25.359
<v Speaker 1>David also shares what happened to Jarvis when he was

0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:28.560
<v Speaker 1>caught with the band's cell phone, along with a powerful

0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:32.359
<v Speaker 1>gift of perspective from the eyes of a Buddhist practitioner.

0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:35.879
<v Speaker 1>A couple of months after Jarvis got the phone, guards

0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:39.000
<v Speaker 1>conducted a random search and found it The phone had

0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:41.960
<v Speaker 1>been hidden inside his copy of the book We're All

0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:46.800
<v Speaker 1>Doing Time. They also discovered a vape and Jarvis was

0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:50.840
<v Speaker 1>written up for the infractions. After a disciplinary hearing, he

0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:54.200
<v Speaker 1>was sent to solitary where I visited him. There were

0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:58.080
<v Speaker 1>no snacks, just the smeared glass wall, like when I

0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:01.040
<v Speaker 1>first met him more than ten years early. Here it

0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:04.000
<v Speaker 1>was sad to have a barrier between us again, but

0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:07.320
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis looked good. As I was thinking that, he looked

0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:11.760
<v Speaker 1>at me and said, man, you look stressed. I told

0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:14.720
<v Speaker 1>him I'd gotten a speeding ticket, that my father in

0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:17.400
<v Speaker 1>law fell down and my wife was trying to help him,

0:20:17.920 --> 0:20:21.040
<v Speaker 1>that we got an astronomical water bill because of a leak,

0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:23.440
<v Speaker 1>and that I had spent the morning and bumper to

0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:26.520
<v Speaker 1>bumper traffic. And then as I pulled off the freeway,

0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:29.520
<v Speaker 1>some asshole cut me off and flipped me off. I

0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:32.159
<v Speaker 1>was still frustrated and angry. When I looked over at

0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:37.359
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis and saw that he was smiling, it hit me. God,

0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:43.280
<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry, I said, I'm complaining about my life here.

0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:48.080
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis said, no, no, no, that's not what I'm thinking.

0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:50.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm just thinking that you had a hell of a morning.

0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:55.880
<v Speaker 1>You better relax. You're gonna die before me. He told

0:20:55.880 --> 0:20:57.840
<v Speaker 1>me about the only time he'd been in a traffic

0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:01.120
<v Speaker 1>jam in his life. He was driven to the hospital

0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.679
<v Speaker 1>for tests after a seizure and traffic was at a standstill.

0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:07.560
<v Speaker 1>The three guards and the driver were piste off, but

0:21:07.880 --> 0:21:11.919
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis was thrilled. He gazed with fascination at people in

0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:16.919
<v Speaker 1>their cars. A family was an animated conversation, a woman

0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:21.520
<v Speaker 1>was singing, A few drivers were alone, one appeared angry,

0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:25.600
<v Speaker 1>and others were stone faced. He watched them and his

0:21:25.680 --> 0:21:30.760
<v Speaker 1>heart melted. Decades before, when Jarvis had taken his first

0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:34.960
<v Speaker 1>Buddhist vows Chat, Duke to kup Renpoche gave him a

0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:39.600
<v Speaker 1>cryptic instruction he should learn to see the perfection of

0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:43.200
<v Speaker 1>all beings. That was what he saw in the faces

0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.119
<v Speaker 1>of the people in their cars, and he was moved

0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:55.560
<v Speaker 1>to tears. Next week, the private investigator who was assigned

0:21:55.560 --> 0:21:59.480
<v Speaker 1>to Jervis's capital case thirty years ago, what she learned

0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:03.760
<v Speaker 1>during her investigation, and why that led to a lifelong friendship.

0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:08.040
<v Speaker 1>Audio excerpts courtesy of Simon and Schuster. Audio from The

0:22:08.080 --> 0:22:11.920
<v Speaker 1>Buddhist on Death Row by David Cheff, read by Michael Boatman.

0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:16.960
<v Speaker 1>Copyright by David Cheff, used with permission of Simon and Schuster, Inc.

0:22:17.160 --> 0:22:20.119
<v Speaker 1>The Buddhist on Death Row is out in paperback this week.

0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.160
<v Speaker 1>This episode was written and produced by Donni Fazzari and myself,

0:22:24.240 --> 0:22:28.080
<v Speaker 1>Corny Cole. Our theme song sentenced is compliments of the

0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:32.120
<v Speaker 1>band Stick Figure from their album Set in Stone. Stu

0:22:32.240 --> 0:22:36.400
<v Speaker 1>Sternbach composed the original music. Nate Dufort did the sound design.

0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:39.280
<v Speaker 1>For more information on Jarvis and to find out how

0:22:39.359 --> 0:22:42.320
<v Speaker 1>you can follow his case and support his cause, please

0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:46.520
<v Speaker 1>visit Free Jarvis dot org. For more podcasts. For my

0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:50.800
<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:53.080
<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows